Cleveland Browns' Quarterbacks: Top Five All time.

Yes that’s right, Cleveland has had a few good quarterbacks in its 61 year history. Not a whole lot, but a few. The main reason for this story is that I’m bored to death with the all the negative news out there right now. You know, players getting suspended, players getting arrested, players holding out for more money. This is the time of year between the NFL draft and training camp, when no news about a team is good news.

1.) Otto Graham - There can be no debate here. Graham can be defined simply as a winner. While quarterbacking the Browns for ten seasons, beginning in 1946 and ending in 1955, the Browns played in ten league title games, winning seven. The first four years, the Browns played in the old AAFC before joining the NFL . Graham’s record as a starting QB in the NFL was 57-13-1. A winning pct. of .810, which is still an NFL record. For his entire ten year career, Graham was 105-17-4. He also had a career passer rating of 86.6 with 188 touchdown passes. Graham is the only Browns QB in the Hall of Fame.

2.) Brian Sipe - Brian Sipe was a thirteenth round draft pick in 1972. Sipe was the leader of the "Kardiac Kids", leading the team to many come from behind victories. He played for the Browns from 1974 to 1983 and passed for a still team record 23,713 yards. Sipe was a true gunslinger who wasn’t afraid to take chances. His best season was in 1980 when he passed for 4,132 yards and 30 touchdowns while winning the league MVP.

3.) Bernie Kosar - Intelligent. Very accurate. Leader. Those are the words that best describe Kosar. His ability to read defenses was uncanny. Kosar led the Browns to the AFC Title Game three times, only to lose to the Broncos each time. His unorthodox passing style got the job done. Whatever it took, Bernie would find a way to hit his receiver. Kosar ranks only behind Sipe for most career passing yards in Cleveland history.

4.) Frank Ryan - Ryan’s main job was to hand the ball to Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly. When asked to pass though, he had a very strong arm, and in 1996, he lead the league with 29 TD passes. When the Cleveland Browns won their last NFL Championship in 1964, Ryan was the QB. In the title game, Ryan threw three touchdown passes to Gary Collins as the Browns beat the Baltimore Colts 27-0. Ryan passed for 13,499 yards and 134 touchdowns during his seven seasons with the Browns.

5.) Tim Couch - A lot more was expected from Tim Couch than he delivered. After being selected number one overall by the expansion Cleveland Browns in 1999, Couch was expected to be the savior on a talentless team. This lack of talent led to Couch taking a beating nearly every game. Before injuries forced him to retire, Couch led the Browns to their last playoff appearance in 2002. He ranks first in the Browns record books with a 59.8 career completion percentage and is fifth in passing yardage with 11,131 yds.

There it is, my five top quarterbacks in Cleveland Browns history. I know there will probably be some who disagree but that’s better than reading about another holdout or suspension or arrest. Come on training camp.